Window-regulator supporting plate



June 25, i929. H. A. MYERS WINDOW REGULATOR SUPPORTING PLATE Filed Oct.27, 1926 Patented June 25, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HUBERT A. MYERS, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE MYERS REGULATOR COM-PANY, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, ACORPORATION OF OHIO.

' WINDOW-REGULATOR SUPPORTING PLATE.

Application filed October 27, 1926. Serial No. 144,463.

My invention has for its object to provide an eflicient window-regulatorsupporting plate whereon the regulator operating parts may be securedand thus the regulator may be installed as a unitin an automobile frame.The invention is applicable to diflerent forms or regulators but isparticularly applicable to the type of regulators having a sector rackand a pinion and a means for operatively connecting the rack to thewindow for raising and lowering the window. The invention provides achamber produced by forming a boss in the sheet metal, of which thesupporting plate is formed, and a pinion is located in the chamber. Inthe form of construction shown, the sector is made in the form of anarcuate strip and is pivotally mount-ed so as to pass through slotsformed in the boss and engage the pinion whereby the pinion will bemaintained in its engaging relation, notwithstanding the flexure of theplate that may occur in operating the crank handle, which is commonlyused for raising and lowering. windows. This engaging relation betweenthe sector and the pinion will be maintained for the reason that themetal about the pinion and the portion of the arcuate sector stripwithin the chamber cannot be flexed by an unusualv force that may beapplied in the use of the device.

Also the invention provides a means for preventing localized bending ofthe window counterbalancing spring that is usually convolute in form andconnected directly, or indirectly, to the rack and the plate. Theinvention also provides a convolute spring particularly applicable tothe type of window regulators described.

The invention may be contained in window regulators of difl'erent formsand to it lustrate a practical application of the invention, I haveselected a window regulator embodying the invention as an example ofsuch constructions and shall describe it hereinafter. The form ofstructure selected is shown in the accompanying drawing.

Fig. 1 of the drawing illustrates the window regulator in position foroperating the window. Fig. 2 illustrates a side view of the regulator,part being shown has broken away in order that the convolute spring maybe shown. Fig. 3 is an edge view of the window regulator shown in Fig.2. Fig. 4 ilbalancing spring used for counter-balancing the weight ofthe window.

The supporting plate 1, selected asan example of embodiments of myinvention, is formed from sheet metal and is provided with a boss 2 thatis formed from the sheet metal. It has a flange 3 for pivotallysupporting the sector 4. l

The sector 4 is in the form of an arcuate strip having the teeth 5 onits outer edge. The ends of the sector 4 are connected to the arm 6 bymeans of suitable rivets such as the rivet- 7. The arm 6 is providedwith a suitable opening that substantially fits the flange 3- WVhentherefore the arm and the sector are supported in position on the boss 2the outer edge of the flange 3 is flared so as to pivotally secure thesector and the arm in position. lVhen the edge of the flange has beenflared the boss 2 forms a lateral bearing of broad area and also a pivotof considerable area for pivotally supporting the sector and the arm ina plane parallel to the plane of the body portion of the plate and inspaced relation therewith.

The convolute spring 8 is connected at one end to the sector through thearm 6, the end of the spring may be provided with a hook that may be soplaced as to engage the pin 9. The other'end of the spring is turnedtoward its axis and is anchored in a slot 10 formed in the side of theboss 2.

The spring 8 is drawn sufliciently taut to carry all of, or asubstantial part of, the weight of the window and thus the springcounter-balances to a greater or less extent the weight of the window.

The width ofthe strip from which the spring is formed is substantiallythe heighth of the boss 2 except for the flange 3 and thus the bossspaces the arm 6 from the plate 1 a distance that is substantially thewidth of the spring.

Owing to the fact that the spring is convolute in form, the inner endportion ordinarily introduces a means that causes a bending of thespring in its use that de- Me conducive to ellicient results.

parts from its normal convolute curve. These marked changes in directionin the continuous use of the spring is thus localized'and invariablycauses the spring to break at this point. In order to obviate thelocalized bending of the spring the boss 2 has a lateral surface 11 thatis also convolute in form, the ends of the surface 11 being joined by aplane surface 12 having a length substantially the same as the thickness of the strip from which the convolute spring is formed. The slot10, in which the inner end of the spring is inserted to anchor thespring, is located in proximity to the surface 12 and consequently theend of the first convolute portion of the spring, will, if it is drawndown against the boss, be located on the surface 11 and on the surfaceof that portion of the spring where it is anchored to the boss withoutbeing deflected from a normal convolute curve produced in its distortionfrom its normal condition, either in placing the spring so as tocounter-balance the window, or when the window is raised and lowered inthe use of the regulator.

In the manufacture of window regulators, it is desirable to use as lightstock as possi- By my invention the sheet metal plate may be formed fromsheet metal that its lighter than is ordinarily used in suchconstructions. In the use of light stock, there is always thepossibility that upon extreme pressure of the actuating part of thewindow regulator, the plate will bend which ordinarily will disengagethe pinion from the sector. In order to prevent the flexure of theplate, that may be produced by any cause, from displacing the teeth ofthe sector relative to the pinion, or vice versa, I form a raisedportion, or boss 15, in the upper part of the plate 1 in which islocated the pinion 16. The sector 4 being made in the form of a strip, Iprovide slots 17 and the sector is located in the slots 17. It extendsthrough the chamber within the boss and engages the pinion within thechamber. Since the metal of the boss 15 completely surrounds the pinion,and also surrounds that portion. of the sector that engages the pinion,any amount of fiexure of the plate will not cause disengagement of theteeth of the pinion and the sector. Also since the sector is in the formof a strip that is secured only at its ends with the supporting part ofthe sector, a complete semi-circular sweep may be given to the sectorand produce ample opportunity for the manipulation of the window, whilethe teeth of the strip is held in engaging relation with the teeth ofthe pinion by the sector passing through slots formed in the sheet metalplate.

The pinion 16 may be operated by the usual crank handle 20 which isconnected to a shaft 21 of the pinion whereby the sector strip 4 ismoved and, through the operation of the arm 6, the window is raised orlowered according to the direction in which the crank handle 20 isrotated.

I claim:

1. In a supporting plate for window regulators, a sector, a convolutespring, means for connecting the sprin to the sector, the plate having aboss struck up from and formed integral with the plate and having ameans for anchoring the spring, the sector pivot-ally supportedon theboss, the boss forming a broad lateral bearing surface for the sector.2. In a supporting plate for window regulators, a sector, a convolutespring, means for connecting the spring to the sector, a boss having ameans for anchoring the spring and having a surface corresponding to theinnermost convolution of the spring.

In a supporting plate for window regulators, a sector strip, a pinionfor operating the sector strip, an arm secured to the ends of the sectorstrip, the strip located between the arm and the plate, the plate havinga boss struck up from and formed integral with the plate and having aflaring flange for pivota-lly connecting the arm to the plate andforming broad lateral bearing for the sector.

at. In a supporting plate for window regulators, a sector strip, apinion for operating the sector strip, an arm secured to the ends of thesector strip, the strip located between the arm and the plate, the platehaving a boss struck up from and formed integral with the plate andhaving a flaring flange for pivotally connecting the arm to the plateand forming a broad lateralbearing for the sector, a eonvolute springconnected to the arm and surrounding the boss.

5. In a supporting plate for window regulators, sector, an arm connectedto the seetor, the plate having a boss struck up from and formedintegral wit-h the plate and protruding from the plate for pivotallysupporting the arm and sector in spaced relation with respect to theplate and forming a broad lateral bearing for the said sector and arm, aconvolute spring connected at one end to the arm, the boss having meansfor anchoring the other end of the spring.

6. In a supporting plate for window regulators, a sector, an armconnected to the sector, boss protruding from the plate for pivot-allysupporting the arm and sector in spaced relation with respect to theplate and forming a broad lateral bearing for the said sector and arm, aconvolute spring connected at one end to the arm, the boss having alateral surface corresponding to the innermost convolution of the springand having means for anchoring the inner end the spring.

t. In a window regulator, a support-ing plate having a recess and pinionlocated in the recess, a sector strip extending through the plate andthe recess, a convolute spring, means for connecting the spring to thesector, a boss having a means for anchoring the spring and having asurface corresponding to the innermost convolution of the spring.

8. In a window regulator, a supporting plate, a boss struck up from thesupporting plate and integrally formed therewith, the boss having atubular end portion of a diameter smaller than the diameter of the boss,a convolute spring, the. boss having a slot for receiving one end of theeonvolute spring, a segmental gear rotatably supported on the endportion of the boss having the smaller diameter and connected to theremaining end of the convolute spring.

9. In a window regulator, a supporting plate, a boss having an exteriorconvolute surface, a slot formed in the boss at that portion of thesurface having the smaller radius, a convolute spring having one endengaging in the slot of the boss, a segmental gear pivotally supportedon the plate and connected to the remaining end of the spring.

10. In a window regulator, a supporting plate, a boss having an exteriorconvolute surface, a slot formed in the boss at that portion of thesurface having the smaller radius, a convolute spring having one endengaging in the slot of the boss, a segmental gear pivotally supportedon the end wall of the boss and connected to the remaining end of theconvolute spring, the spring being located between the sector arm andthe plate.

11. In a window regulator, a supporting plate, a pinion rotatablysupported on the supporting plate, an arm in operative connection withthe window for raising and lowering the window and rotatably supportedon the supporting plate, a sector connected at its ends to the arm andoperated by the pinion, the sector located between the arm and thesupporting plate, a convolute spring located between the arm and thesupporting plate, and connected to the supporting plate and locatedsubstantially in the plane of the sector and the pinion, and means forconnecting the spring to the arm.

12. In a window regulator, a supporting plate, a pinion rotatablysupported on the supporting plate, an arm in operative connect-ion withthewindow for raising and lowering the window, a sector connected at itsends to the arm and operated by the pinion, the sector located betweenthe arm and the supporting plate, a boss located on the supporting platefor rotatably supporting the arm and the sector, a convolute springlocated between the arm and the supporting plate and connected to theboss and substantially in the plane of the sector and the pinion, andmeans for connecting the spring to the sector.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name to thisspecification.

HU BERT A. MYERS.

